Inheritance: Ebrithil
by IvainFantasyMaster
Summary: The Continuing Epic of Eragon, Saphira and the Rise of the Riders
1. Arrival

**Chapter 1: Arrival**

Eragon staggered. After weeks aboard the ship, Talíta, he and the elves had finally discovered a place to settle. They were in a valley between hills that declined to be tall enough to be honored with the title of "mountain". In the immediate surroundings of the valley, the landscape tickled even the widest imagination into submission. One could find every possible landscape next to another, blending flawlessly with each other. There were forests of all kinds, meadows and fields with grasses ranging from less than an inch in length to growing above Eragon's head. There even was a clump of small mountains a day's ride away by dragonback, as he had learned from Saphira when she returned from her scouting trip. This would be the ideal place to settle. _"In fact, it is such a nice place that I might have settled here anyway, were it not for all that I left behind_", Eragon thought, sharing a moment's grief with Saphira, for both of them had left their love behind in Alagaësia.

He had lost Arya, just when love had started to grow between them. Saphira had been forced to leave her mate behind, who was the dragon Arya was bonded to, just several weeks after meeting him. It had hurt them deeply, but they knew they had to continue. Since then, they and the elves who had decided to come with them had been searching for a place to settle, but always they had come upon a reason to continue. The first few days, they had not even bothered looking, as they were still too close to the borders of Alagaësia.

After more than two weeks aboard the ship they had found a place they deemed suitable. However, he and Saphira had encountered a flock of Fanghur that was large enough provide a challenge to them. They chased them away, but when Eragon had returned, he, Blödgharm and another elf had gone to investigate.

After climbing a hill, they had stumbled upon an entire colony of Fanghur. Eragon was confident they could chase the lot of them away with the help of the Eldunari, but, as Blödgharm had said, "Those Fanghur have probably lived here for centuries. It would be unfair to chase them away, and they're too much of a nuisance to live anywhere near to". Besides, as Saphira had told him, "We might not be far enough away yet. If I fly high enough, I can still see Hedarth at the horizon. I might be able to fly there within a few days, something a pair of hatchlings will be only too tempted to do." He had agreed, reluctantly, and boarded the ship again.

Several more times, they had seriously considered staying in a place that seemed perfect, and every time there had been something that spurred them on. Now they had arrived at the perfect place, Eragon was determined to let nothing stand in his way, since, as Angela would have said it, "I concern myself only with things that exist". As he had discovered, spending time away from people, with only a few elves and the minds of dragons as company, he discovered he started to think like the herbalist. He caught himself ever more often using verbal trickery even in his thoughts. _"I guess this state of mind is the offspring of isolation. But then, what would isolation need to be paired with in order to produce it?"_ Eragon grinned to himself, and focused on contacting Blödgharm about the place he and Saphira had found.

_"Blödgharm, we have found the perfect place. It is time to check the area"._

_"We are on our way, Shadeslayer". _Blödgharm replied.

Eragon and Blödgharm soon agreed upon a plan. Eragon and Saphira would scout the area, looking around, and relay all information to one of the elves. Blödgharm would scout the area with his mind, and have the Eldunari ready to spring in if he should encounter something hostile beyond his mental strength. If he failed to conquer it, they would combine all their minds, and try again. If it failed, they would be in trouble, however unlikely it was that something other than Galbatorix or the Menoa tree could withstand the combined might of the Eldunari they had with them. Even so, he was cautious, as Solembum had warned him that there might be powers lager than Galbatorix in the world. This had made Eragon wary of any unknown magic.

Halfway through the scouting trip, when Eragon and Saphira had just finished inspecting the clump of mountains for anything unusual, Blödgharm contacted them. _"Shadeslayer, Bjartskular, I have found something interesting, which I think you should investigate"_ he said, with an edge of concern in his mind, and communicated the location. It was behind a waterfall at the center of the clump of mountains.

_"A good place to hide",_ Saphira said," _we never saw there was something behind it. We should take great care entering. Did you find anything harmful?" _she said to Blödgharm, who replied:" _There is a constant presence of magic in the caves, but I cannot detect whether any spells have been cast. Nor can I see what is inside. You must proceed with the greatest caution possible. Who knows what lurks inside"?_ Eragon swallowed. He rechecked the wards around him and Saphira, casting new ones here and there. Then he stopped. It was time to enter.

Vapor. A thundering roar filling his ears, one more sonorous than Saphira could ever match. Then, the battering, more powerful than the waterfall at the entrance to Farthen Dûr. So powerful that no human being could have resisted it. Then it was over, and there was neigh but echoing emptiness. _'Little one, we are inside"_ Saphira said. _"there was no magical trap of any kind, just that waterfall, to stop humans from walking in. We should continue"_. And so she did. Throwing one last glance at the frothing wall of water behind him, Eragon started after him.

Time wore on reluctantly. It did not want to continue, for fear of the horrific revelation that lay ahead. It was not so much horrific as beyond sentient understanding. What lay ahead of Saphira and Eragon was a piece of wild magic that would defy the understanding of most beings, however old and wise.

There was an arch. It was a gate that had the looks of those at the rock of Kuthian, but the glyphs were etched in stone, and looked like they were not made by human, dwarf, elf or Urgal. They looked mostly like they were worn into the stone by nothing but age. "_These are the most improbable enchantments I have ever seen", _Eragon thought. "_They seem to have occurred purely by chance." _However, the glyphs, though they were almost identical to the ancient language, were unreadable to Eragon. He decided then, to use the name of the ancient language to detect any hidden spells.

Eragon said the Word, and added several spells that danced and feasted at the presence of the Word. These were meant to trace the path of the enchantments placed upon the arch, and translate their meaning and purpose to the spellcaster.

It hit him hard. Eragon staggered, barely able to keep hold of his mind, as a combined wave of unconscious understanding and confusion racked him. How could it be? How was anything like that ever possible? He started to consult Saphira, but refrained when he felt the same emotions and confusion course through her. _"I cannot understand the purpose and exact meaning of what you sensed either. There is only one way to find out, little one". "We must go through" _they both thought.

With apprehension, Eragon moved a foot through the arch, ready to spring back, though he knew it would be futile as soon as any form of enchantment had been set off. Nothing happened. He moved through completely. He gaped. Behind the arch, there was an immense cave. No, the word cave failed in every aspect. This was a space like that in Farthen Dûr, but much larger. It could have held the hollow mountain the way Farthen Dûr held Tronjheim. _"How could this be?" _was the first thought that raced through his mind. _The mountain wasn't much larger than your average peak of the Spine." "Little one, the enchantment of the arch, remember? It said something about changing the balance between time and space. It must have to do with this marvel."_ For marvel it was.

When Eragon looked up, he could discern a small disk of light, impossibly high above him._ "The tip of the mountain must be enchanted, as it was solid enough when we landed on it". _Eragon thought. Saphira joined his pondering, saying:_" I did feel a shift under my feet, as if there was about to be an avalanche. It must have been the magic shifting me to the edge of the hole, without my eyes seeing the change. But let us not sit here and talk away. Let us fly, little one, and see the true extent of this marvel!_


	2. Discovery

**Chapter 2: Discovery**

"Have you returned already, Shadeslayer? You only went in a short time ago! What happened?" Blodgharm ran up op them, his fur bristling with confusion.

_"What does he mean, a short time, we've been flying for hours on end!?"_ came a confused thought from Saphira. _"I know"_ said Eragon _"there is something profoundly wrong here!" _and to Blödgharm; "We have been in there for hours, yet you say we were only gone for a few minutes."

"Shadeslayer, it was little time between your entering and your return. Someone must have tempered with your sense of time" was Blödgharm's reply.

Eragon was shocked. Then he remembered something: "_Of course! Saphira, what did you say again about the balance between space and time? It must have something to do with that!"_To the elves he said; "We will be returning to the ship to discuss this matter"

Later that day when they were sitting by the ship, which stayed perfectly still in the slight current of the river, they were discussing the matter of the hollow mountain.

"It would be an ideal place to settle, since we would be protected from the wind, and from rain and other such matters in most places at the edge, away from the top." Eragon suggested to the rest. "Besides, we can build a city the size of all Farthen Dûr in there, and still have plenty of room to fly. It would be no problem to fit even the largest dragons in there, especially if the mountain could be accessed from the top. We can build the largest dragon hold in history there."

"That might well be, Shadeslayer, but we still don't know anything about the time issue. As long as we don't know it's nature and whether it is only an illusion or not, we cannot do anything in there. I suggest we stay here, and try to find out what we can. If it is not harmful, then it is indeed a splendid place to stay." was Blödgharm's argument.

A few of the other elves contributed arguments why they should or should not go into the enchanted mountains directly. In the end, everyone agreed that Blödgharm was right, that they should investigate the mountain before settling. After all, it was about the future of the dragons.

There had been a celebration, for finding a place to stay. Eragon saw the elves as he had rarely seen before. They were careless as they had been at the blood-oath ceremony. Yet each and every one was fully conscious of their actions, unlike then. He imagined it must be because they knew the dragons were going to return to the world. Now he thought about it, it was indeed worthy of feasting. It was such a joyous occasion, Eragon hoped the mirth would never end.

But of course, it eventually did, as all feasts must. One by one, the elves calmed down, and went to their resting places, to enter the trancelike state that was their sleep.

The days after their celebration, Eragon, Saphira and the elves labored on unraveling the mysteries of the natural arch. It was a difficult task, as the enchantments had been layered in a seemingly random way, each spell occurring at the moment its glyph had been etched in the archway.

This was another part of the mystery, as simply writing glyphs down didn't normally invoke spells. Furthermore, the energy to maintain the spell would have to come from somewhere. But these were matters for the future. Their priority was to determine the safety of the mountain.

There had been an unspoken agreement between them that no one would make contact with Alagaësia until they knew the safety of the mountain. Then, Eragon had decided, he would contact Orik, and ask of him the help of a number of Knurlan that were masters in the arts working stone for building.

He would do this because he was planning to make a second Tronjheim, only it would incorporate sung wood, as he wanted to use the clump of trees in the middle of the mountain, instead of cutting them down to make space for the Dragon Hall, as the central building would be called

His plans had found their origin in his admiration for both the massive glory of the city mountain Tronjheim, and the ancient elegance of the sung halls of Ellesmera. Also, during his stay in the capital of the elves, Saphira had damaged the wood of his lodgings while trying to get to him when he had had an attack of his back. He was certain that the dwarves would succeed in building something dragon-proof, but he did not want to force the elves into an environment that they weren't used to. So he came by the idea to combine the two.

After talking to Orik, he would contact Nasauda. Even though she no longer was his liege lord (how inappropriate that phrase actually was), he still felt obliged to report the proceedings to her, at least for the time being.

However much he wanted to, Eragon refrained from contacting Roran or Arya. Both of them he cared too much for to contact now. "These wounds are too fresh to rip open so early" Eragon heard from both Saphira and some unknown corner of his own part of their soul.

Finally, after two days of labor, they had finished their investigation into the nature of the enchantments. None of them had broken their concentration for anything other than food, or a short nap every now and then. Saphira and the Eldunari might not be spellcasters, but Saphira had watched Eragon's mind, and relayed information to the minds of the dragons.

Of these, those who were sane would then use their store of knowledge to make sense of what Eragon saw. He had used this to direct his search closer to the core. Then, at the moment he had reached the core, and begun to comprehend its implications, one of the minds had vanished, shaking the remainder of them sufficiently to shatter concentration.

It turned out that an elf who had not belonged to his guards had fainted, and fallen through the arch.

"She has always been one to concentrate so immensely when she found something interesting that she would refrain from eating or sleeping until she had gotten to the bottom of it, or fell over from exhaustion" was Blödgharm's explanation.

Not everybody was sure of this, though. Suddenly a voice cut through their pondering: "What are you standing around for? Have we unraveled the mystery yet?"


End file.
